Chapter 351: Death by Improper Operation

Chapter 351: Chapter 351: Death by Improper Operation

Arthur Sullivan’s heart skipped a beat.

’Did someone die?’

His mind raced, trying to recall any recent commotion in Workshop Two.

In his peripheral vision, Arthur Sullivan saw several police officers walking out, carrying things in their hands.

"What’s going on? Everything was fine. How did something like this happen?" Arthur Sullivan asked, lowering his voice.

The colleague he asked clicked his tongue twice. He had arrived earlier and had a more complete picture of the situation. He leaned closer to Arthur Sullivan and explained, "The supervisor of Workshop Two came in first thing this morning to check on the progress. He found no one around the production line and thought the employees were slacking off.

But when he passed the meat grinder, he saw a lot of bloodstains on the floor and the machine. The supervisor was so scared he immediately pulled up the surveillance footage and called the police.

Turns out, an employee on the night shift broke protocol, fell into the meat grinder, and was shredded to pieces."

The colleague couldn’t help but shudder as he said this.

Even though he knew this batch of product wouldn’t make it to market, he still decided he wouldn’t buy any snacks related to the factory for the next year.

Hearing the details, Arthur Sullivan couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath. The employees who operated the meat grinders were all strictly trained. ’How could an operational error like that even happen?’

"If I remember correctly, Workshop Two has been rushing an order lately. If someone died last night, why was it only discovered this morning?" Arthur Sullivan pointed out the inconsistency, his voice laced with confusion.

Logically, shouldn’t it have been discovered immediately?

The same colleague shook his head, his tone regretful. "It’s because there’s been too much overtime lately. Some of the employees in Workshop Two were unhappy and clamoring for a break.

The workshop supervisor probably thought that letting them rest would improve their work, so he agreed to their request.

The employee who had the accident said he was short on cash and volunteered for the overtime. Thinking nothing had ever gone wrong before, the supervisor approved it. Who would’ve thought something would happen on that one night!"

The two were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn’t even notice the factory manager standing beside them.

"AHEM! Alright, alright, that’s enough chatting. Don’t all crowd around here and disturb the police officers while they’re working." The factory manager coughed heavily, drawing everyone’s attention.

The employees who had been rubbernecking immediately scattered, afraid of being singled out and having their pay docked.

Arthur Sullivan remembered his duties. He looked at the factory manager beside him and asked, "Manager, what was the colleague’s name? I’ll flag his file so we can proceed according to the factory’s procedures."

Offering condolences to the family, the level of ceremony, the amount of compensation...

All of this required the deceased employee’s name and information.

With his hands clasped behind his back, the factory manager shot Arthur Sullivan a sidelong glance and slowly uttered a name. "Mason Walker. The employee who unfortunately passed away last night was named Mason Walker.

Arthur, go pull up his file and report back to me. I need to prepare the sympathy payment."

Hearing the name Mason Walker, Arthur Sullivan’s entire body went rigid. He stared at the factory manager in disbelief.

’Isn’t that the person I fabricated? How could he be the one who died?’

"What is it? Is there a problem?" Seeing Arthur Sullivan standing there motionless, the factory manager’s expression darkened, and his voice grew stern.

"N-no, nothing. I’ll go right now." Jabbed in the small of his back by a colleague, Arthur Sullivan snapped out of it and quickly shook his head, insisting there was no issue.

Having gotten the answer he wanted, the factory manager sauntered off toward his office. "So dedicated to the factory... For a good employee like that, we can’t be stingy with the compensation and condolences.

We can even get some media coverage out of it. That’ll help build up our image as a conscientious enterprise."

The manager’s voice wasn’t loud, but the wind carried it to Arthur Sullivan’s ears.

The colleague beside him gave Arthur Sullivan a strange look. "What’s wrong with you? You started acting weird the moment you heard that name.

Do you know this Mason Walker?"

Hearing the question, Arthur Sullivan instinctively shook his head. "No, I don’t know him. I’m just... sad.

A perfectly fine person, just gone in an instant."

"Yeah, it’s a real shame." The colleague didn’t seem suspicious and simply agreed with him.

Panic swirled in Arthur Sullivan’s heart. Just looking at the workshop entrance made him feel short of breath, and he quickly made an excuse to leave.

Once he was back at his desk, Arthur Sullivan stared at his computer screen, his mind a chaotic mess.

’What did the manager mean by that?’

’Have they already identified the deceased? Or did he just throw out a random name?’

’Why would a randomly chosen name be the exact one I made up?’

’Is it a coincidence? Or is there some other motive?’

’And besides, what was the real name of the employee who died?’

Just as Arthur Sullivan’s mind was racing, he heard other colleagues in the office discussing the incident.

"I heard that the entire batch from Workshop Two last night has been scrapped. The police are in there now, sifting through everything, trying to find the body parts in that pile of meat," said Colleague A with a secretive expression. He even glanced left and right to make sure no one from other departments was around before lowering his voice to share what he knew.

"Hiss... stop, that’s horrifying. But how could they possibly find anything?!" Colleague B rubbed their arms and shivered.

"Of course they can’t. It’s all just meat paste now," Colleague A said with a purse of his lips.

Colleague C, who had been listening in, couldn’t help but jump into the conversation. "You guys don’t get it. The machines we use are industrial-grade. The flesh is a lost cause. But what the police are mainly looking for are bones!

And did you know? I’ve got an inside scoop. The surveillance footage from last night... it’s not complete!"

At this revelation, not only Colleague A and B, who had been discussing it, but also Arthur Sullivan, who had been eavesdropping, all snapped their heads up and stared at Colleague C in astonishment.

Colleague C seemed quite proud that his news had shocked his coworkers. He beckoned them over, motioning for them to lean in closer.

Curiosity compelled Arthur Sullivan to get up from his seat and walk over to Colleague C.

Once the three of them had gathered around, Colleague C whispered, "I have a friend who works in Workshop Two.

They were called back in for questioning today. My friend told me that the surveillance cameras in the workshop have been glitching on and off for the past few days. Their supervisor was even planning to report it and ask the manager to send someone for repairs.

Last night, the camera only caught Mason Walker’s lower body. It showed him breaking the rules and crossing the safety line. Then his feet left the ground, and blood splattered everywhere. That’s how they confirmed he was pulled into the grinder!"

"That’s not right! Something’s wrong with this picture!"